Nia

This simple three letter name has two possible origins and meanings. On the one hand, Nia is the Welsh form of an old Irish name Niamh (pronounced “nee-av” in Ireland) and means ‘brightness, luster, radiance’. In Irish mythology and folklore, Niamh Cinn Óir (Niamh of the Golden Hair) was a “banshee” or fairy woman believed to be among the first inhabitants of Ireland. She was also a bit of a femme fatale. Here’s one of the more popular versions of Niamh’s legend. She was born the daughter of sea deities and dwelled in a place underwater called “Tir na nÓg” (the land of Eternal Youth and Pleasure). One day she rode her horse Enbarr across the sea to Ireland and came upon the handsome Fianna warrior and poet Oisín (son of Fionn Mac Cumhail). Upon gazing at this extraordinarily beautiful golden-haired woman on her horse, Oisín fell instantly in love – and she with him. Niamh carried him back to Tir na nÓg where he remained for the next 300 years (although he thought only three weeks had passed). In time, Oisín asked to go back to Ireland for a visit. Niamh gave him her horse and sent him on his way with one warning: do not get off the horse and touch Irish soil or all will be lost. Oisín returned to Ireland after 300 years to discover that the old heroic age had passed. No longer can he find his father or the Fianna, and so he wandered the countryside on horseback eventually coming upon some men trying to move a boulder off a path. The legendary Irish warrior Oisín is able to move the stone with one hand, but the stirrup broke and he fell off the horse. Upon landing on Irish ground he was instantly transformed into an old man. The ‘radiant and beautiful’ traditional spelling of Niamh is still hugely popular in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland. It is also on the Top 100 in England and Wales. Nia or Neve are more common spellings in the United States. The other possible origin of Nia comes to us from the Eastern African language of Swahili and means “purpose”.